Aspirations
by Far Away In Wonderland
Summary: Harvey Reginald Specter wanted to become a very, very rich lawyer. That or a world renowned jazz-player like his father. He hadn't decided yet. Nevertheless, his family taking in an eleven-year-old genius with deep blue eyes and blond hair had never been part of his plans. AU. Part One of "The World Belongs To Us"


**As of yet unbetaed. English isn´t my mother language, therefore there may be some mistakes.**

 **I tried to research as much as possible. Because it has been some time since I last saw Suits, please excuse any discrepancy between my story and the series.**

 **I have shortened the age gap between Harvey and Mike from ten to five years.**

* * *

Harvey Reginald Specter was a sixteen-year-old teenager with high aspirations. He wanted to get the highest grade so that he would be able to go to Harvard and become lawyer with a grand office in one of Manhattan´s skyscrapers, fast cars and model girlfriends – or boyfriends – he wasn't that picky.

That or a world renowned jazz-player like his father. He hadn't decided yet.

Nevertheless, his family taking in an eleven-year-old boy had never been part of his plans.

Rationally he knew that his parents were registered and approved as foster family, but in all those years CPS had never placed a single child with them, so it had become part of the abstract knowledge that Harvey had amassed in his mind. Like the fact that there was a wall separating the city of Berlin. Or that the capital of Australia was Canberra and not Sidney. Knowledge that he had, but was effectively useless in the long run.

So imagine Harvey´s surprise when he walked down to the kitchen this morning and saw a boy that was not his brother Marcus sitting at the kitchen table. The boy noticing his entry looked at him like a deer caught in the headlights; his clear, blue eyes wide and full of anxiety. His blond hair stood in every direction which made him look like he had just gotten up from bed. He was rather small and lanky, for his legs didn't even reach the ground as he sat on the chair, something that Harvey had no need to worry about since the age of seven.

"Who are you?" Harvey asked the boy. Said boy just looked around, his eyes becoming even more wider – something Harvey didn't believe was possible only a few minutes ago – as he seemed to become more frightened with every second that passed.

"Harvey!" Lily Specter, mother of Harvey and Marcus, wife to Gordon Specter and successful manager for some head-hunting agency swopped in with the usual air of activity around her. "I see you have already met Mike." She pointed at the now named Mike who calmed down after seeing her. "He will be staying with us for a while, so be nice to him." With that she began amassing pots and pans and started to make the usual bacchanal breakfast the Specters enjoyed on weekends.

Harvey – having to do nothing better – sat down on the other side of the table.

"In case you didn't know, my name is Harvey," he introduced himself to Mike. Going over his mother´s introduction in his head, Harvey deduced that Mike was probably a child that CPS had placed with his parents. He barely remembered the talk his parents had had with him (Marcus had been too young back then) after they had been approved by the CPS, but Harvey remembered that they had impressed on him the importance of not overwhelming the new child. The fact that he had been placed with them and not some family member left only the conclusion that they were either unsuited for caring for him or that he had no family.

Both traumatic experiences for a young boy, so Harvey didn't expect much interaction between the two of them. So he was rather surprised when Mike spoke up.

"I´m Mike," he mumbled and Harvey had to make an effort to understand him.

"Pleasure," he drawled in rather exaggerated way with the British accent he had trained over the last few weeks by only watching BBC which resulted in a little smile gracing the young boy´s face. Before Harvey could say anything else, another person appeared in the doorway.

"Hi, baby brother," Harvey greeted eleven-year-old Marcus who looked like a miniature copy of Harvey.

"I´m not a baby," his brother shot back, followed by a big yawn. Marcus had never been and would never become an early-riser.

"Who`s this?" he asked and poked at Mike´s shoulder with his index finger.

"That´s Mike," Harvey answered with a smug grin. Marcus didn't need to know that he had just met the other boy five minutes ago. It did wonder for his knowledgeable older brother image.

"Why´s he here?" Marcus continued asking while Mike shot Harvey a panicked look because Marcus just wouldn't stop crowding into his personal space.

"He…" Harvey started only to be interrupted by his father who entered the kitchen and went straight to his wife who he kissed passionately. Mike and Marcus made equal expressions of disgust.

"Hello Mike," his father greeted the younger boy.

"Hello, Mr Specter," Mike greeted back.

"So you already met the rest of my family?" Gordon asked and Mike nodded.

"Has Harvey already been a little obnoxious shit?" Gordon asked the blond with a bright smile.

"Dad!" Harvey whined. "Gordon!" his mother exclaimed and shot her husband a death glare that probably could have melted steel. But when she turned around again Harvey´s father winked at Mike and the boy´s smile grew wider.

"What are your hobbies?" Marcus asked Mike after he had decided that – for the moment – the other boy was the most interesting thing in the kitchen. "Do you like animals? I love animals! When I grow up, I´ll become veterinary and help the lions and zebras and elephants in Africa!" Marcus eyes glowed with passion as he told Mike everything about his future on the dark continent. There was no doubt that Harvey and he were brothers: Both shared the drive to achieve what they wanted no matter what.

"Do you like elephants?" Marcus continued asking, already forgetting the question that had led to this one. "I know that the African one has bigger ears than the one in Asia and that some bad people hunt them for their teeth." His joyous expression was replaced with a very grave one. "That´s bad."

"I know some things about elephants," Mike offered shyly.

"Tell me!" Marcus begged with wide eyes.

"Elephants are large mammals of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea," Mike began. "Two species are traditionally recognised, the African elephant – Loxodonta Africana – and the Asian elephant – Elephas maximus – although some evidence suggests that African bush elephants and African forest elephants are separate species – Loxodonta africana and Loxodonta cyclotis respectively. Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Elephantidae is the only surviving family of the order Proboscidea; other, now extinct, members of the order include deinotheres, gomphotheres, mammoths, and mastodons. Male African elephants are the largest extant terrestrial animals and can reach a height of 4 m and weigh 7,000 kg…." Mike stopped his lecture when he noticed that everyone was staring at him and averted his eyes, looking on the ground.

"That…" Marcus started. "Was awesome!" When he noticed that his sudden bout of knowledge wasn't received in any negative way by the Specters, Mike just looked at Marcus wide-eyed.

"How do you know that?" Harvey asked. That had to be the textbook definition of elephants like you would find it in college books; nothing like children of Mikes' age would read or understand. Hell, even Harvey didn't understand some of the words Mike had used and he was one of the best pupils in his high school! But Mike had not paused or hesitated when he spoke the professional Latin terms; he had even pronounced them right – half of Harvey´s class was too stupid for that.

"I read it when I wanted to know more about elephants," Mike answered.

"And you still remember it?" Harvey asked a little bit awestruck.

"Once I read something I understand it," Mike said in a tone that indicated that this wasn't the first time he explained this phenomenon to somebody. "And once I understand it I never forget it." Before Harvey could inquire further he was forestalled by his brother – again.

"Do you know more about elephants?" he asked excitedly. "Or zebras? Or what about giraffes? Do you know how big the biggest giraffe in the world is?" The longer Marcus talked the louder and faster he became. Mike meanwhile tried to further the distance between him and Marcus by sinking further into his seat. Thankfully Harvey´s mother intervened before Marcus suffocated the other boy with his presence.

"Take your seats, breakfast is ready!" The question ceased after that. After all, no sane Specter would leave out the opportunity for good food.

* * *

After breakfast Gordon had led Harvey and Marcus in the living room while their mother escorted Mike to the room that was going to be his. It seemed that Harvey´s father had some things he wanted to talk about with his sons without Mike present.

"Sit down," Gordon said and gesture to the couch. It was an ugly piece of furniture in a sickly shade of green that reminded Harvey of the one time he had eaten grass and vomited afterwards. He had been six at that time and wanted to test if it was really true that only animals could eat grass. His test came back positive. But the couch was the first thing his parents had bought when they got together and as they hadn't had much money back then it had been this couch from a drift shop. They liked it as a reminder of the first days of their love.

Harvey didn't understand that sentiment. If he had the money to buy himself something better looking than that abomination he would do it without hesitation. What use had memories of the past for him when he could have a stylish couch instead. You didn't need objects to remember something that was worth remembering. When he had uttered that sentiment to his father once the man had just smiled and answered that Harvey would understand when he was older. As of yet the sudden enlightenment hadn't come.

"You probably want to know why Mike is here?" Gordon asked.

"Is it because of the CPS?" Harvey asked his dad. Gordon nodded in affirmation.

"What´s CPS?" Marcus asked.

"It means 'Child Protection Service'," Harvey´s father explained his brother. "They take care of children when they don't have parents anymore." That they also took children who still had parents was left unsaid.

"Mike has no parents?" Marcus asked.

"Yes," Gordon answered. "They both died in a car crash a few weeks ago. The only relative left is his grandmother but she lives in a nursery home and is in no state to take care of him. So, he will stay with us for the foreseeable future."

"So I have another brother?" Marcus asked excitedly.

"You can look at it like that, Marcus," Gordon said as he smiled at his youngest son. "But there are some things I have to tell you first." Both Harvey and Marcus looked at their father expectantly.

"Under no circumstances are you to ask Mike about his parents," Gordon told them gravely. "Mike was in the car when they died and even only mentioning them can lead to him having panic attacks. Understood?" Both boys nodded. "As you have already witnessed, Mike has what experts call a photographic memory. The social worker told us that Mike had problems with his peers in school as they would make fun of him because of it. You will not, am I clear?" Again a double nod. "The first few weeks will be the most difficult for all of us. Mike is in a completely new household with people he barely knows while his parents are gone forever. We on the other hand have a kid amongst us that had to live through a really traumatizing incident. I don't expect that it will be easy, but I expect you to try your best, okay?"

"Yes, dad," Harvey and Marcus said in unison. Gordon smiled and before Harvey could even react, he and his brother were evolved in a bone-crushing hug.

"I´m so proud of you, boys," Harvey´s father said as he let go of them. "You can go now and do whatever children do when their parents aren't looking. Ah, I remember when I was young…" Harvey left the room as soon as possible, as he knew that he didn't want to hear anything his father had to say about the things he did in his youth. Last time had been terrifying enough.

* * *

It was a few minutes after midnight when Harvey suddenly woke up. From outside the light of the streetlamps shone through his window and threw his whole room into half-darkness, thus creating shadows that seemed too dark in comparison to the faint light. Now and then he could hear the wind waving through his mother´s apple trees. A car was passing by. For a short moment Harvey´s room was lit up so bright that he had to close his eyes again but then the car had passed by and his room sunk back into the darkness that was before.

Something had woken Harvey, but he didn't know what. There had been no nightmare, no sudden loud noise; nothing. And yet something had disrupted his sleep, even though Harvey couldn't remember the last time when he had woken in the middle of the night.

Slowly Harvey sat up and looked around his room. Nothing out of order. The pile of clothes he should have washed a week ago still laid atop his chair in on the rooms' corners. The sheets of paper with his school work on it were still the same like they had been a few hours ago.

Harvey really wanted to lay back down and continue sleeping, but he had this persistent feeling that something wasn't right. Like when you suddenly ask yourself whether or not you had closed the door or turned off the stove before you left home and you just had to look again and make sure, otherwise it would drive you insane.

Slowly Harvey pushed himself towards the edge of his bed. His feet touched the ground and slowly he tiptoed to his rooms' door, carefully avoiding all the areas where he knew the floor would crack. Harvey opened the door and looked into the hallway. Nothing but absolute silence.

Harvey left his room, now standing in the middle of the hallway. In a spur of the moment decision he decided to head leftwards. He passed the door to his brother´s room – warning everyone that a "Monster From Outer Space" was awaiting behind – and continued onwards. The next door led to the room his parents had given Mike.

Harvey stopped and listened. From behind the door he could hear a faint noise. It sounded like - like sobbing. Without thinking Harvey´s hand clutched the door handle but the he stilled. Should he really go into Mike´s room in the middle of the night when it was the first he would spend in this house? What if Mike thought that Harvey was some kind of creep who waited in front of doors and listened in? But then he heard another sob and the decision was made.

The door opened without a noise and slowly Harvey peeked into the room. Before today it had been a storage room where the Specters had put all the things they didn't use anymore but didn't want to give away. The packing cases that had been all over the room had been placed on the right side of the room to make space for Harvey´s old bed which had been positioned on the left side right under the window sill.

And on the bed was Mike, sleeping but trashing around while he cried. With only a few wide steps Harvey stood beside the bed and looked down on the boy. His whole face was distorted into an expression of fear and anguish while tears run down his cheeks.

"Mike?" Harvey asked tentatively. Even though he had only whispered the word, his voice seemed to loud, like a gunshot fired in suburbia during the night. Mike didn't react and continued crying. Very slowly Harvey lowered his arm and touched the boy´s shoulder.

"Mike," Harvey said, a little bit more forcefully while he shook the boy´s shoulder a little bit. Mike´s eyes opened wide as he jolted awake. Faster than Harvey could comprehend Mike had ripped away his hand and cowered himself as far away from Harvey as possible on the small bed. Arms around his knees, Mike´s whole body shock uncontrollably. His gaze was directed towards Harvey, yet his eyes were unfocused and clouded as if he was not seeing Harvey himself but was still caught in the nightmare.

"It´s okay, Mike," Harvey said soothingly, not trying to touch Mike again. "You´re safe. Nothing here will hurt you. Just breath with me..." Harvey kept talking. He didn't remember much of it, but the more time passed by the calmer Mike became until the shaking stopped.

"Better?" Harvey asked the other boy. Mike nodded, his face still tearstained.

"Want to talk about it?" Harvey prodded. Mike hesitated at first and Harvey was ready to stand up and leave the room in order to give him some breathing space but then he started talking.

"I-I-I-t was the car c-c-c-crash," he spluttered. "I-I-it was so loud...and d-d-d-dad didn't move anymore and m-m-m-mom didn't move and...and there was b-b-b-blood..." The tears started again.

"I´m so sorry, Mike," Harvey said and he meant it. Harvey´s parents meant the world to him. He couldn't even imagine – didn't want to imagine – how he would feel if they died. He wouldn't wake up to his father playing the saxophone anymore; wouldn't smell the food his mother was making which no restaurant could ever hope to match; wouldn't witness their disgustingly sweet adoration for each other. And Mike had not only lost his parents but he had also witnessed their death.

Harvey shuddered when he thought about it. How eleven-year-old Mike was caught in the car with his dead parents while he waited for someone to save him.

"I won´t claim that I understand what you´re going through," Harvey continued, his gaze boring into Mikes'. "Because that would be a lie. But I promise you that I try to help you however I can. You don't have to go through this alone." Before Harvey had finished his sentence, Mike had already hurled himself at the older boy and evolved him into a bone crushing hug.

Harvey patted Mike´s back awkwardly. He wasn't much for physical comfort – at least not when he was the one supposed to give it – because it always made him feel out of his depth. Harvey didn't know how to make people feel better by simply embracing them and he didn't know which gestures were suitable and which one to avoid. So he just sat there and let Mike hug him.

"Can you stay?" Mike asked timidly. "Just for a little bit?" He stared at Harvey with his wide blue eyes and he could already feel himself giving in. Harvey nodded. Without further comments Mike nestled down in his bed. Harvey sat down beside him, leaning against the wall.

"Can you tell a story?" Mike asked after a while.

"A story?" Harvey asked perplexed. Mike nodded.

"Well, let´s see," Harvey said as he thought about it. "I think I have something. In a big city there lived a lawyer who just made it to Senior Partner at the firm he was working at..."

"What was his name?" Mike interrupted.

"Is that so important?" Harvey asked.

"You can´t just call him 'lawyer' all the time," Mike said with a 'duh'-expression that was eerily similar to his brother.

"Then let´s call him Alcott," Harvey said after a few moments of pondering.

"That´s a stupid name for a lawyer," Mike snorted.

"Hey, I have you know that it is a very dignified name for a lawyer," Harvey shot back grinning. Mike just snorted again.

"Anyway," Harvey continued. "Alcott had this awesome secretary Donald – yes, the secretary is male because it´s stupid cliché that secretaries are always women – and they were a great team. But now that Alcott was Senior Partner his boss, a badass woman named Janet, wanted him to take an Associate. Alcott didn't want that..."

"Why?" Mike inquired.

"Because he was already the best closer in the whole city," Harvey answered. "He had his team – himself, Donald and sometimes Janet – and he didn't want someone new who would disrupt his routine."

"That´s stupid," Mike declared.

"Am I telling the story or you? So, because he couldn't just refuse Janet Alcott had interviews set up," Harvey continued. "And it went terrible. All the candidates that showed up were just the same: arrogant yet unwilling to speak up against authority out of fear for their advancement and stupid with no ideas of their own. So Alcott had nearly given up on finding a Personal Associate when a young man interrupted his interviews. The man – Daniel – was on the run from the police…"

"Why that?" Mike interrupted again and Harvey shot him an annoyed glare which shut him really fast.

"If you were patient you would learn it, because I was about to tell why," Harvey said. "The police were after him because Daniel was trading drugs on the side to earn money so that he could pay the medical bills for his grandfather. But he had been set up and now he was running from the officers straight into the waiting room for the interviews – with a suitcase full of pot.

'You are five minutes to late,' Donald said to Daniel from behind his desk. 'Is there any reason for why I should allow you in?' You can guess that Daniel didn't really care about going to that interview, but he needed to stall for time so he just said:

'Look, I´m just trying to ditch the cops, okay? I don't really care if you let me in or not.' But unknown to him that was exactly the right thing to say, because it was so unlike the other candidates and so Daniel was ushered into the room where Alcott was waiting."

"What did he do then?" Mike asked excited.

"He played," Harvey answered. "Daniel always wanted to become a lawyer but he never had the money to pay for college. Everything went straight to his grandfather. But he had a mind for law – you could say he was a genius in this particular area – and read a lot of books about it and so he convinced Alcott to hire him even though he had now law degree."

"Did they ever got caught?" Mike wanted to know.

"I don't know," Harvey answered. "We aren't that far into the story yet. But if you lay back down I´ll continue." Mike did as he was told and made himself comfortable in his bed. Then Harvey continued with the story of Alcott and Daniel and their friends and foe. He told Mike about Larry, Alcott´s archenemy who just wanted to be as good as the other lawyer; about Rowena, a paralegal whose skirt Daniel began chasing after a while and of course he told Mike all about their cases.

Harvey had just finished the story of how Alcott and Daniel had prevented that the production of a famous American car company was outsourced when he looked at Mike and saw that the other boy had fallen asleep again.

 _Just five more minutes and then I´ll go back_ , Harvey thought as his eyelids became heavier and heavier.

* * *

The next morning both Harvey and Mike were woken by his mother laughing at the two of them lying in Mike´s bed. Harvey opened his eyes – just a little bit – and gave her his best death glare, which wasn't that impressive because he had just awoken. Next to him Mike sat up, his hair sticking in all directions as if he had been walking through a hurricane.

"I can´t remember the last time Harvey spent the night in another bed," Lily Specter said as she opened the window to let in some fresh air. "No, I can! I think it was after we watched The Jungle Book when he was seven. You had a nightmare that this snake would come and eat you, so one of us had to stay with you every night for a whole week." Harvey´s death glare intensified.

"I was seven and this snake able to hypnotize his prey had a traumatizing effect on my young and impressionable psyche," Harvey defended himself. "You don't need to be afraid of white sharks or anything like that, but that snake could have come through my window and eaten me at any time!"

"Dude, you were afraid of The Jungle Book?" Mike laughed.

"Don't call me dude!" Harvey shot back without heat as Mike continued laughing. It was nice to see him like that and not like the emotional wreck he had been the night before. When he laughed it looked like this was his natural state of mind.

"I can assure you that the only thing from the jungle in this household is the tropical wood of which my dresser is made of," Harvey´s mother teased. "So you don't have to fear a predator eating you while you do your homework." And with that she vanished out of the room.

* * *

It became a ritual after that. At least three times a week Harvey would spend his night with Mike, telling him about the adventures of Alcott and Daniel which became more elaborate as the time passed by. Sometimes he was woken by a shaking of his shoulder after Mike had come into his room when he couldn't sleep because of a nightmare. Sometimes it was Harvey who came to him when he woke up in the middle of the night and just _knew_ that Mike wouldn´t be sleeping.

* * *

"What is going on there?" Gordon asked Harvey one day.

"He has nightmares," Harvey answered. "And he can only sleep afterwards when I tell him a story. It seems to calm him down."

"A story?" Harvey´s father wanted to know. Harvey just nodded.

"Yeah, Alcott and Daniel, a lawyer and his associate and how the two are kicking ass and solving cases," Harvey explained.

"It´s great to see that you get along with each other," his father said and he smiled at Harvey.

* * *

During the day Harvey didn't see much of Mike. The blond went to the same school like Marcus where he was at the top of his class the moment he set foot in the building.

"He knows everything!" Marcus explained one day when the whole family was sitting at the table. "It´s so cool!" Mike blushed and continued eating. He and Marcus had become fast friends over their shared love of animals and outside activities. There was no moment where they weren't planning some safari through Africa with Mike helpfully supplying all the information they needed.

Yet Harvey thought that he had a more profound bond with Mike. The blond may laugh with Marcus, but it was Harvey with whom he cried. It was Harvey to whom he confessed after an especially terrifying nightmare that he still missed his parents so much that it sometimes hurt physically. And Harvey knew that when Mike suddenly became silent it wasn't because he was deep in thought about something but rather that he had seen or heard something that reminded him of his parents and he had to fight the tears from spilling.

But he didn't begrudge Mike and Marcus their closeness. Harvey would go insane if he had to keep up with that absurd schemes they sometimes came up with. He was satisfied with what he had.

* * *

It was a sunny Wednesday when everything went to hell.

School had been cancelled for Harvey after his teacher had suddenly fell ill, so he was able to head home two hours earlier than usual. That was great, because it meant he could clean his room. After all, tomorrow a worker from the CPS would come and evaluate them and Harvey didn't want to make a bad impression.

When Harvey entered the house he was met with silence. His father was still at work and Marcus and Mike would come home from school in roundabout three hours. He chucked his bag into the corner of the living room and headed upstairs. Tyler – one of his friends from school – had given him a new CD to listen to and that was exactly what Harvey was planning to do.

"Yeah – exactly like that – come one!" Harvey stopped in his tracks as he heard his mother´s voice coming from the bedroom. His whole face flushed red. That was something he definitely didn't want to hear ever in his life. So, his father had come back earlier and decided to have some fun with his wife? How could they do that? They were his – his parents and parents didn't have sex! They stopped that the moment the first child arrived.

Harvey slowly tiptoed forwards to be as silent as possible. He really wanted to save himself (and his parents) the mortification of seeing the other.

"You like that, sweetheart?" Harvey froze. That wasn't his father´s voice. Definitely not. But that meant – cold dread coiled itself in Harvey´s middle. No, he must have misheard; imagined things. His mother would never – she loved his dad. She loved him and Marcus. She wouldn't.

Harvey had to look. Just to make sure. His eyes would probably roll out of his head and his parents wouldn't be enthused but it was better than the alternative.

His hand was on the doorknob. Harvey could hear heavy breathing, the rustling of the bedsheets and his mother moaning. He opened the door – just a little bit.

His mother was laying in the middle of the bed, naked and breathing heavily. Harvey flushed deep red and was about to avert his gaze when he saw the man that was laying atop his mother, thrusting into her rhythmically.

That man wasn't his father.

Harvey let go of the door. It swung open with a loud creak, notifying the two occupants of the room that they weren't alone anymore. Harvey´s mother looked at the open door, saw him and her eyes became wide.

"Harvey!" she called, but Harvey had already turned around. He walked down the hallway, down the stairs, out of the door and then he started running. Running away from a family that was no more.

* * *

 **So today Season 5 of Suits starts and I´m not ready. I hate Darvey and I hate Mike/Rachel (does that pairing even have a proper name) and both of them will feature prominently in the new season. Don't get me wrong; platonic Darvey-friendship where they´re just being badass is great but not that mess that we got at the end of Season 4.**

 **So, to cure my anxiety I decided to write down this plot bunny I had for a very long time. I live in Germany, so the only things I know about CPS are what is written in Wikipedia. But seeing that this is fan** _ **fiction**_ **just suspend your belief in reality for the duration of this fic and pretend everything happens like I wrote it here.**

 **Another thing I noticed is that there isn't much information about our favorite Suits characters out there. I was hardcore googling Harvey´s parents and the only thing I got was their names and that his father died – even though that was really heartbreaking. So I had to make up like 90 per cent of the information you read here.**

 **Comments are love – and I need that to survive Season 5 ;)**


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